Partner Problems
by KillHateAvenge
Summary: Fury decides to pair his agents up, and a Black Widow and Captain America partnership is at the top of his list. Natasha refuses, saying she'd rather work alone. But when she is in danger, will her pride and feelings prove to be her only weakness? Or will someone fish her out before she drowns? StevexNatasha friendship, maybe romance in later chapters.
1. Fury's Plan

Natasha sat on a stool at the island of the kitchen in the Avengers Tower, frowning in silent thought as she munched on a bowl of muesli with berries. It was early in the morning, and even though it was a Sunday, she was used to waking and sleeping at awkward hours due to her line of work. Today was a good day though—she had managed to escape Fury's screaming down her phone at dawn and could reflect on the events of the week.

**~A few days ago~**

A whiny sound disturbed Natasha from the paperwork she was filling out. Her latest mission had been easy, but with all the mission summaries she had to complete, it seemed as if being on the field was a piece of cake compared to the mounds of forms she had to fill out afterwards.

"Attention, all agents. This is Fury speaking. I have an important announcement concerning all of you." All around her people started to look up at the coms on the ceiling, listening attentively to the director they worshipped. Natasha rolled her eyes. Somehow Fury always managed to make a big deal out of something she never cared about.

"Romanoff, do not roll your eyes at me." Natasha held back a smile as he said this. "Agents, I have decided that from now on, all agents must complete their missions in pairs. Those with higher ranks will choose their partners first, and so on. Agent Romanoff, I need you in my office."

As soon as he stopped speaking, all eyes turned to the red-haired ex-assassin as she stood up from her seat and walked out of her office, eyes looking forward as she strode confidently towards the elevators as if no one was staring at her.

When the elevator doors opened, Natasha walked into Fury's office. Her emerald-grey eyes scanned the room. In one corner of the room sat agents Coulson and Hill, who looked up from the files they were studying to nod curtly at her. Natasha noticed that Coulson was glancing at the centre of the office every so often, at Fury's desk, in front of which stood a tall, well-built, blond man in a navy blue mission suit.

The man turned around and looked at Natasha with warm, sky blue orbs. Steve. No wonder Coulson couldn't stop peeking at his lifelong idol. She noticed that Steve only half smiled at her, unlike his full-on dorky-but-still-adorable grin, and recognized that he was in mission mode.

"What do you want, Fury?" Natasha asked with an annoyed tone.

"Romanoff, I want you and Captain Rogers to pair up, since you work well with each other and are familiar with each other's skill sets. Also, you live in the same building, which will save me some money for transport," Fury said.

Natasha cocked an eyebrow, glancing at Steve. He looked back down at her for approval. However, instead of agreeing, the spy surprised everyone with her answer.

"No. Fury, I refuse to be paired up with him." Steve looked taken aback, his eyebrows rising upwards as she said that. Fury was mildly amused by the scene in front of him.

"Romanoff, I'm not asking for your opinion. I'm giving an order. I want you to work with Cap over here." Natasha didn't reply, just shook her head slightly and frowned.

Fury sighed. "May I ask why?"

"Just give him another partner. I work better alone." The truth was, Natasha didn't want to work with Steve because she was starting to develop feelings towards the tall blond man beside her. Not exactly the love type, but she felt herself caring very deeply about Steve, and the bond of partnership would only strengthen their friendship and bring them closer. Natasha couldn't risk having a weakness, no matter what, or who, it was. Not even Captain America himself. She knew very well how weakness could affect a person in times of life or death.

Steve looked down at his hands, where they were fingering the director's glass desk. His eyebrows furrowed in thought. Was there something wrong with him? Did Natasha not like him anymore? What did he do to make her feel that way?

Fury sighed. "Fine. Rogers, you must have a partner by the end of this week, or I will assign you one. Romanoff, you may work alone until further notice." He nodded at his two agents, signaling that they were dismissed. Natasha immediately turned and stalked out of the doors.

Before she could get into the elevator, a hand wrapped around her wrist. When she tried to get out of the person's grasp, a pair of strong arms snaked around her torso, successfully holding her back and weakening her attempts to escape. The person pulled Natasha into a dark corner and pushed her gently into a wall, putting his arms on either side of her head to prevent her from running away. She felt an odd sense of déjà vu.

"Nat," Steve's voice growled deeply. "Am I that bad of a partner?" Natasha's heart rate sped up as he moved closer to her. "No," she replied.

Steve looked exasperated and confused. "Then why? Why won't you work with me?" She could feel his hot breath on her face as he questioned her. Hearing no answer, Steve ran his right hand through his hair and sighed heavily. "God, Natasha. You can be so confusing sometimes. I thought we were friends, or at least get along well but you still adamantly refuse to- to even give it a try, and it's like you- you HATE me."

Natasha's eyes widened when he said this. The soldier stopped pacing in front of her and faced her, his blue-eyed gaze penetrating her soul. "What have I ever done to you, Natasha? Why won't you… give me a chance? To be a part of your life? I'm not asking too much, am I? I just want you to trust me, like I trust you. But you refuse to. You never tell me why. You just close up, and no matter how many times I try or whatever I do, you don't tell me what I'm doing wrong."

By this point, Natasha's green-gray eyes were threatening to fill with tears. She bit her lip, and looked at the man in front of her. There was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to tell him. But she couldn't, because he was a weakness, one she needed to get over. She couldn't show anyone the soft spot she had for the kind-hearted super soldier.

"Nat, please tell me. Please. Just tell me what's wrong with me, and I'll change. I swear, I'll do whatever I can, just tell me how." His voice was nothing more than a whisper now as he looked pleadingly at the red-haired beauty.

There's nothing wrong with you, she wanted to say. It's my fault I let these feelings get the better of me, and I'm sorry I worried you.

"I'm sorry," Natasha said softly, not able to bring herself to speak the truth. Instead, she gently pushed past Steve, leaving him with a broken-hearted look on his face.

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**AN: So, here's the first chapter... I'm planning for this to be a multi-chapter story, maybe three chapters, depends how much I can write about the plot that I've got. Anyway, I've named this Partner Problems, but I have a feeling that the name isn't quite right... Please review if you have any suggestions! Thanks for reading!**

**Alexa :)**


	2. Natasha's Mission

**~The next day~**

The sound of her phone ringing endlessly woke Natasha up from her restless sleep. She tried to hit the snooze button, but realized it wasn't her alarm clock. Grunting, the spy pulled her phone out and looked at the time, gasping with annoyance.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT, FURY? It's 2 in the freaking morning!" she practically screamed down the phone. That man would be the death of her, if she didn't strangle him first.

"Natasha. I need you for a mission, now. I've sent for transport to pick you up. Meet me at HQ in my office ASAP, at 2:20." With that, the director of SHIELD hung up.

Natasha stretched and yawned, running her hands through her tousled hair. Great, a mission in the morning. Though she never let anyone see her annoyance at her horribly messed up sleeping schedule, Natasha truly hated dawn missions the most, especially since she was never a morning person.

She quickly leaped out of bed and washed her face, jumping nimbly into her signature catsuit. Then she proceeded to load her guns and strap her weapons into holsters on her thighs, where they would be less visible and easy to access. Finally, Natasha ran a comb through her blood red hair and silently left the Avengers Tower, slipping into the sleek black SHIELD vehicle that would take her to HQ.

Meanwhile, Steve was half asleep, lying on his comfortable bed on his floor of the Avengers Tower. Suddenly, JARVIS woke him up.

"Captain Rogers, Ms Romanoff has left her room and is moving out of the vicinity," the AI informed the soldier. Steve sighed visibly, and rushed out of bed, quickly throwing on a T-shirt. Telling JARVIS to inform him whenever Natasha left the building was his only way of making sure she didn't get into trouble, since he wouldn't be able to do so due to her reluctance to partner up with him.

"Where is she heading?" By now, Steve was fully dressed in his navy blue stealth suit and was rummaging around for his shield.

"Agent Romanoff has boarded a SHIELD vehicle, sir." JARVIS replied without hesitation. Steve was still trying in vain to find his shield. "It's in the closet."

Sure enough, once he opened the closet, Steve was greeted with his shield's insignia. Now armed with his beloved weapon, the super soldier rushed out of his room and into an elevator. "Thanks, JARVIS!" he called as he left the Tower.

The SHIELD van skidded to a halt in front of the newly renovated Triskelion, SHIELD's not-so-secret headquarters. The Black Widow headed straight for Nick Fury's office, located not so conveniently at the top floor of SHIELD's HQ.

As she burst into the office, Fury's head snapped up to stare at her with one eye. "Agent Romanoff. You're late," he said calmly, glancing at the clock on the adjacent wall. It read 2:21. Natasha frowned in obvious frustration.

"Are you just going to criticize me or are you going to give me the oh-so-important mission that required me to wake up before even getting two hours of sleep?" she asked sarcastically.

Fury eyed her with one eye, his expression unfaltering. He pushed a file marked CONFIDENTIAL on it in red towards Natasha. "Your helicopter is waiting for you on the roof. Since you didn't want the Captain, you're going to have to complete this mission alone. Because of this I am forced to give you a window of one week. Also, may I warn you that it is dangerous, and that Rogers is just a phone call away—"

"No. I'm not calling him. I'll have this done by Friday." Natasha said curtly.

Fury sighed before continuing. "There is a gang of suspected illegal weapons dealers that are causing trouble in their neighbourhood in France. Your mission is to get close to the leader and extract any useful information from him, which we will use to break up the gang."

Natasha nodded and promptly left the office hurriedly. She failed to notice the super soldier crouching in the shadows, hidden from sight, shaking his head as he listened to the conversation.

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**AN: Ooooh what's gonna happen to Natasha and what is Steve planning? Sorry if this chappie is a little short… I wasn't going to post this so early but I had to scrape something together for you wonderful people who supported me on my story "Nightmares and Numbers"!**

**Just to clear up any confusion, this is set maybe a few months after CATWS, when Fury is trying to restructure SHIELD to bring it back to its original glory. Imagine that Steve and Sam have given up on trying to find Bucky, and everything is pretty much back to normal. All the Avengers have moved into the Avengers Tower, as per Tony's constant whining… Yayyyy!**

**Also please review… reviews are love and they make me want to write more for you guys! Thanks!**

**Alexa :)**


	3. Alicia's Target

Natasha rushed up to her helicopter. Since she was going undercover for this mission, she would need a new fake identity, and Natasha was not going to explain why her alias owned and knew how to operate a SHIELD helicopter to the dealers. Instead, she sighed and settled down in the back, reading the files Fury gave her as the pilot took her to France.

"We're here, Agent Romanoff," the pilot announced. "Sorry it's a little far from your destination, but I can't land anywhere nearer than here if you want to lay low."

Natasha nodded stiffly as the helicopter landed on the roof of an abandoned warehouse. "There is transport and supplies in the garage. Good luck Agent Romanoff."

The master spy dropped from the side of the helicopter like a cat, onto the roof. She used a grappling hook to latch onto the side of the roof, and climbed down to the ground like a spider. Picking the lock of the garage, she slipped in to be greeted with the beauty of a sleek red Porsche, and whistled in appreciation. Unlocking the doors with a key, Natasha reached in the trunk and pulled out a bag. Grasping it to her chest, the redhead opened a secret door and went in.

Steve grunted as he watched Natasha's helicopter zoom away into the distance. Great, now he would have to fly there himself. The soldier spotted a pilot taking a drink break with his friends. Walking over, he bumped harshly into one of them, muttering apologies and excuse me's over his shoulder. Pocketing the keys he had swiped, Steve grinned to himself as he jumped into an empty helicopter and started the engine.

Natasha looked at herself once more in the mirror. She spun around, admiring how the shimmering red fabric clung to her figure and accentuated her luscious curves. Her now dark hair flowed down her exposed back and past her shoulders in voluptuous waves, shining in the dim light of a single lightbulb. The dress stopped mid-thigh, and had one deep red sleeve with only a strap on the other side to expose her shoulder and arm. Most of her back was also visible, covered only by a sheer fabric. Natasha went with light eye makeup, and blood red lipstick to match her dress. A black clutch and ridiculously high black heels, along with blue contacts, finished her look perfectly. She looked high society, enough to fool the weapons dealers at the party she would be attending tonight.

The agent walked graciously to the car, and flung her bag full of weapons and her catsuit into the trunk. Selecting a couple of throwing knives and loading a gun, Natasha hid the gun in her clutch and strapped the knives to the inside of her thighs. Satisfied with her appearance, she sped off into the night.

As she was driving, Natasha ran her fictional profile through her head. Her name was Alicia Rivera. **(AN: Guess where this name is from!)** She was the only daughter of billionaire and illegal dealer Russo Rivera. **(AN: Guess which TV show the name Russo is from!) **After ten more minutes of script rehearsing, Natasha bit her lip. This should be easy.

Parking her car expertly, Natasha walked into the party, which was already in full swing. All eyes were on the beautiful woman as she waltzed into the ballroom, exchanging small smiles and gracious greetings as she walked by. Heading towards the dance floor, she thought she could pass some time while searching for her target.

Steve sighed as he hovered above the area Natasha was supposed to be. Just as he was about to look somewhere else, he spotted a sleek red Porsche zooming past. Ah, Natasha always loved Porsches. Wait a minute. Sleek red Porsches are only used by SHIELD when a female agent needs to attend a fancy event. Steve sighed. There would be lots of people attending. He would have to follow her as best he could, then. Not in a helicopter, though—those tended to be quite the attraction.

Natasha was swaying to the music of the live band at the party, surrounded by a large group of men who were all trying and failing to catch her eye. Suddenly, a hand grasped her waist, and she turned around, only to be faced with the face of her target. He smirked down at her.

"Will a gorgeous lady like you allow me to buy her a drink?" the man asked, his voice thickly laced with lust as his eyes roamed her body.

"Maybe," Natasha answered, filling her voice with fake lust as well. She could feel his grip tightening on her waist and starting to travel downwards. Natasha was disgusted by the nerve of this man and wanted to flip him, but took a deep breath and stayed calm, pulling his hand away and back on the small of her back.

"Not here handsome, maybe later if you're lucky," she whispered, feeling satisfied as he growled deeply in his throat.

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**AN: Oh my god... I'm so sorry for the long wait, last weekend was my birthday and I had a lot of stuff to do... Sorry! Oh and review for the two references in this chapter! Guys, if you're reading this I would love to have more feedback from you and more reviews would make my day much happier :D Also, if you have any ideas feel free to tell me and give me constructive criticism... I'm not a fan of haters or people who rush my writing process but I'd like to know what you have to say.**

**Thanks!**

**Alex**


	4. Guy's Defeat

**ATTENTIONNNNN EVERYBODYYYY!**

**I won't waste your time now, but please read the author's note at the bottom of the page, it's really important! Also, there's some foul language in this chapter, but only to express the character fully. Thanks!**

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The man led her to the bar, grinning like a delusional Cheshire cat. Natasha gagged in her mind. If it wasn't for the mission, she would have sent this guy flying to Germany by now for touching her.

"Two 'Sex on the Beach' cocktails, extra vodka," he said to the bartender. Wow. Horrible at flirting as well. This guy was lucky he wasn't too bad looking. Actually, screw that. He was obviously staring at her breasts… Pervert.

Natasha smiled seductively, taking a long sip from the cocktail and reveling in the tangy aftertaste of her favourite Russian liquor. Popping a glace cherry into her mouth, she waited for the man to start a conversation.

"So, babe, what's your name?" he asked, his breath smelling strongly of vodka.

"Alicia Rivera," Natasha replied smoothly, without a hint of hesitation. "And you?"

"Guy de Lafayette," he smirked. "And you're the gorgeous daughter of my favourite business partner, I assume?"

Natasha smiled triumphantly. She had the right guy. Now to seduce him for information… Men like this were easy targets.

Leaning towards him, Natasha put her hand on Guy's thigh. "Let's go upstairs," she purred in his ear.

Steve took out a pair of binoculars, and clocked where the car was parked. Then, he landed the aircraft expertly on the garage. Slipping carefully through the doors, he looked around. Hopefully, since this was a SHIELD storage facility, he could find something to wear.

A few minutes and a lot of rummaging later, Steve looked himself up and down in the mirror. Not bad for a disguise, he thought. With that, the super soldier left the garage.

Before he could even take a step out of the doors, Steve stopped and face palmed. He had completely forgotten to get transport. Looking around him, Steve's ocean blue eyes alighted on a man inspecting his sleek black Mercedes.

Natasha weaved expertly through the crowds of elite party-goers, clutching Guy's hand in one of hers and holding her purse with the other. Tumbling into one of the many rooms specifically designed for this purpose, she closed the door firmly behind them.

Guy forcefully pinned Natasha to the wall, kissing her hungrily. His big calloused hands ran down her body, pulling her close and grinding his hips against hers. Natasha tried to detach her lips from his, but Guy wouldn't let go. He slapped her across the face for trying to flip them over, leaving a heavy red mark. When she was still shocked from the impact, he pushed her down onto the bed and started to take his suit off. Natasha tried to speak, but Guy scraped his nails into the delicate skin of her thigh and clapped a hand to her mouth as she screamed.

Natasha's heart sped up as Guy's hands clutched her breasts and traveled to the inside of her thighs. This was all going wrong! By now, she should have him cornered and spitting out information, but he was stronger than she expected him to be, and here she was, getting squashed on a bed with some stranger that disgusted her even more than rotten trash. Guy then pulled out her knives from their hidden sheaths, and raised them above her body, pointing the blades at Natasha.

"Why the FUCK do you have knives?!" he bellowed, putting them dangerously close to Natasha's skin.

Natasha gulped. This was not going to end well.

The man fell to the ground in a lump beneath Steve's feet after a few expertly executed punches and kicks. Taking the man's keys, wallet and other things out of his pockets, the soldier got into the Mercedes and took off.

Driving with one hand, Steve pulled out the wallet he took and rifled through its contents. He gawped at the sum of bills he found. It was probably more than his monthly salary. A flash of something caught Steve's eye, and he tugged an ID out of the wallet. It read: Javier Gutierrez.

Just as he parked the car, a beeping sound startled Steve. It was a text message on the phone that he had also taken from the man. He skimmed over the screen with quick eyes, only fiddling with the unfamiliar technology a little.

From: Guy de Lafayette

Fuckin a hot chick at the party, u gotta get here fast! She's Rivera's fuckin daughter! U gotta get some of dis damn shit, dis chick's gonna lead us to big time money, no more selling shitty weapons on the street man!

Steve rolled his eyes at the foul language and the behavior of this Guy person. But if he was going to find Natasha, he needed to act like Javier Gutierrez.

Natasha screamed as the blade of her own knife slid across her thigh. Her arms were already covered in blood, dying her hair back to its original colour. She closed her eyes to stop the pain.

BAM! Suddenly, a weight was lifted off her and she opened her eyes. Guy, or rather his body, was on the floor at the foot of the bed, and in his place stood another man.

This man had short, dark brown hair, slicked back away from his forehead. He had a scruffy beard that covered the lower part of his face, and made his pursed lips stand out. The man's nose was straight and elegant, but the most striking part was his eyes. Natasha fell into a trance, looking into those eyes, a beautiful oceanic blue, yet also a stormy gray.

"Who are you?" she whispered hoarsely, all energy drained with blood loss and abuse.

The man didn't answer, simply took her gently into his strong arms and carried her out of the building, kicking Guy's lifeless body on the way out.

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**AN: I'm so so so sorry for not updating! I know it's been such a long time and I really apologize for making you guys wait... I had a summer course for the last week and it took up hours of my time. Please forgive me! I hope this chapter makes up for it. I also uploaded a oneshot called Puppy, check it out! :D**

**BTW, Alicia Rivera is a character from The Clique and Russo is from Wizards of Waverly Place, but never mind.**

**A shoutout to MysticFantasy for having such an awesome community and being so dedicated,**

**Pleasesayitsnotso for writing amazing stories (check 'em out!) and generally being really nice,**

**and finally to Muldoon22 for being so excited for this story and for the enjoyable, cute oneshots.**

**Thanks for having faith in me and for following/favourite-ing/reviewing my story! Please leave a review, they mean a lot!**

**Alexa**


	5. Javier's Letter

Natasha woke up, reveling in the warmth of the morning sunshine as it streamed steadily through the window, pooling at the end of her bed. She sat up and stretched. Suddenly, she remembered that the house she was supposed to be staying in had no windows. And that it had been an uneventful sleep, instead of the nightmare-filled tossing and turning she usually experienced.

Running her hands through her hair, the spy looked down at herself. She was clad in an oversized t-shirt and jeans, which were definitely not hers. Still confused, Natasha stood up and looked around, her gaze alighting on a neatly folded piece of shimmering red fabric. Curious, she walked cautiously towards the chair, noticing that a note was placed on top of the fabric. She tore it apart with fumbling hands, surprised at the neatness of the scrawled handwriting.

**_Alicia,_**

**_By the time you wake up, I should be gone. I have some business to attend to in town, so I left you this letter._**

_**Do you remember the events of last night? If not, maybe the name Guy de Lafayette jogs your memory.** _At this, Natasha frowned in recognition. Shaking her head, she continued to read. _**I don't want to delve into detail about what happened at the party, but let's just say he was hurting you, so I killed him and brought you here, to my place. I hope that explains the bandages.** _Natasha gasped. So this was the man that saved her! The events of the night before flowed into her head, so fast she had to sit down to stop the incoming headache. Hiking up the ends of her jeans, she discovered that she was, in fact, wrapped with bandages, quite well, in fact. This guy had more to him than she would've given him credit for.

**_Be careful, Alicia. These people are not good men. I may be part of this group, but it doesn't mean they won't hurt you. If you insist on having relations with Guy's lackeys, I can't stop you, but just be careful. I know we haven't exactly met yet, but trust me on that._**

Natasha smiled at how caring the man was of her well-being and how, despite not having any idea of who she was, he still took care of her and saved her from Guy's wrath. Even though she knew she couldn't take his advice to stay away from the crime group because of her mission, Natasha took the warning to heart.

**_Your dress in on the chair, I washed it so you can wear it instead of my old clothes. There are a few nasty bloodstains I couldn't take out, but it doesn't look too bad. Drink more water, you lost quite an amount of blood._**

**_Javier Gutierrez_**

Javier Gutierrez. Somehow that name rang a bell in Natasha's mind, but she wasn't too sure if she had actually read or heard the name before. However, he had written that he was, in fact, part of the crime group that she was assigned to take down. Natasha sighed and set down the letter, changed into the surprisingly clean dress, and left the house to find a car.

Steve was never really fond of killing anyone, not even bullies. He understood that in this line of work, killing was second nature, so he resigned to doing so for the sake of the greater good of the people. This time, he had fired the gun without even thinking twice. Seeing Natasha being treated like that angered him, and made the normally mellow super soldier's blood boil with hatred.

He had rented a motel room and took Natasha there, gently and carefully pulling off her dress to clean up and bandage her wounds. After putting her into clean clothes, he tucked her in and kissed her forehead.

The next part was harder for Steve. Salvaging the once beautiful dress was not a piece of cake, especially when the blood was already starting to dry. Nonetheless, he managed to get most of the bloodstains out, thanks to his mother's incessant need to wash anything remotely dirty.

Steve sat down on the lone chair and watched Natasha for a while as she slept. She looked so serene, so peaceful, so unlike her Black Widow alter-ego. Shaking his head, he hastily scribbled a note for her reference and left the vicinity. He stroked the smooth, battle-scarred vibranium surface of his beloved shield, hoping Natasha would be okay.

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AN: How is it? I know, I know, not my best chapter, but it's essential to clarify a few questions that arose in the previous chapters. There will be some action in the next chapter, which may or may not be the last one... I'm not sure yet. Also, I'm starting school this week, so I apologize in advance if I am not able to update as soon as you'd like.

On another note, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed my story Graveyard Goodbyes! I was really excited and happy with all the feedback from my readers... Perhaps expect an update during this week, I'll try :)

I'm watching Lucy later with two of my friends... So. Damn. Excited. Like hello, SCARLETT JOHANSSON! Or should I say perfection. If only Chris was in the movie too... but hey, we've got Morgan Freeman aka the guy who is in almost every movie, lol.

Alexa


	6. A Spy's Death

**AN: Okay guys, firstly, I'm sincerely sorry for making you wait so long. I know, I shouldn't have, but I didn't expect school to give out projects in the first two weeks! Please don't hate, I'm really trying here. Anyway, hopefully you think this chapter was worth the wait! I think there are gonna be about two more chapters of this story left, so hang in there, for me please! :)**

Hijacking a sedan was the easiest part of what Natasha was about to do. She slipped inside, smoothing out her dress and fixing her makeup in the rearview mirror. Great, now she was ready.

Setting up the GPS, the master spy sped off towards the SHIELD warehouse to stock up on weapons for the rendezvous.

Steve sighed and rubbed his eyes to read them of all traces of sleep. Shaking out his cropped dark brown hair, he looked at his reflection disapprovingly in the screen of his Tony-Stark-issued smartphone. Being a soldier, he wasn't the biggest fan of beards, and this scruff was damn itchy.

Expertly maneuvering his car into a safely hidden spot, Steve pulled on a heavy black leather jacket and dark spy sunglasses. Then, he resumed staring out of the window, his azure gaze fixated on a dark alley, watching the figures slowly but steadily arrive and shake hands as they stealthily convened in the cover of shadows.

Natasha breathed in deeply, preparing herself for the mission. She needed a plan—and a cover. Pulling over at the curb, the red-haired spy observed her surroundings. The meeting place was, as she'd expected, to be in a dim, discreet alley, hidden a good distance away from the bustling city. Repeating the mission plan in her head once more for good measure, Natasha slipped out of the stolen sedan, her shiny black high heels clicking satisfyingly on the gravel as she strode confidently toward her destination.

There were many darkly dressed men, most of them in dark jeans and leather. All eyes were on her as she walked to them, and for the first time she allowed herself a look over them to determine how hard taking them down would be. To her annoyance, the thirteen men were all strong. Their biceps bulged under their shirts, and it seemed as if every single bit of their bodies were covered in muscle.

Natasha smirked at them coolly. She could sense that some of the men were checking her out, their gazes flicking up and down her body. Then, one of them lowered his sunglasses (which looked surprisingly similar to Coulson's). He smiled crookedly at her. Natasha felt a stab of recognition as his sky blue eyes looked on. This was the man who had saved her the other night, and brought her to his apartment to rest.

The spy knew it was a failure to have to rely on someone else to save her on a mission, but she sent the man a fleeting look of thanks, and turned back to the group.

"I'm Alicia Rivera, daughter of Russo Rivera, illegal dealer extraordinaire. I'm here in place of my father, since he's out on an important trip."

Who she assumed was now the leader of the group walked menacingly up to her. "Why should we trust you? I didn't know Russo had a daughter. He always sends bodyguards with his vendors, and they're all male."

Natasha flinched, partly because his breath was horrible from smoking, partly because Fury had failed to mention this detail about SHIELD's handcrafted character Russo Rivera. She decided to act normal.

"Well, handsome, why don't we… talk about this somewhere more private?" Natasha said seductively.

The man yelled something in French, too quick even for Natasha's mind to process. It was some kind of code. Within an instant, all the men were surrounding her, trapping her in the middle of a circle. She was shoved roughly to the ground, the fall grazing the skin on her knees making them bleed. The leader shouted again, and his followers immediately brought out thick ropes, quickly and deftly tying the disoriented spy's hands and legs up.

Natasha didn't worry at all—she was trained to get out of any situation. However, what she didn't expect was for the leader to bark orders at his men, telling them to each hold down one of her limbs. This guy was more than she thought he was.

The man stood in front of her, marveling at his work. Then, he spoke, his voice gravelly and deep. "You think it's so easy to stop us? We—" he gestured to the group "—are not fools. You killed Lafayette. We kill you."

Natasha cocked an eyebrow, but all confidence was lost when the man thrust out a dagger. The others followed suit, and the redhead was surrounded by knives. Never before had she experienced this feeling, of genuine fear that her life was coming to an end. These men were dangerous, just as Javier had warned her. And he was one of them.

The knives slowly started to close in on her as Natasha's head swam. She searched for a Plan B, but the only thing left was to plead to them, which she would rather die than do. Gulping, the spy looked straight at the leader, who smirked back cockily, as she tried to rid her mind of all the different ways these knives could stab her, slice her, kill her.


	7. Lover's Secret

Natasha closed her eyes halfway. Her hard-set jaw didn't show it at all, but she was internally freaking out. Suddenly, she heard a _thwip_ sound. Her eyes shot open. The knife that the leader was holding against her throat was soaring in the air, away from her. The other men glanced around for whoever had done it. A man stood outside the circle, hovering over Natasha.

One by one, the men stood up, only to be thrown away by a strong force. The lone man dealt out tactfully executed punches and kicks, groans of pain filling the humid air as the dealers were scattered around the alley. Natasha looked around at the ground, where her attackers' bodies lay unmoving. She counted in her head—one, two… ten, eleven, twelve. Twelve?

A cool metal object pressed against the side of her head. Natasha sucked in a breath. She didn't need to look to know it was a gun.

"Don't move," a strangely calm voice ordered. Natasha chose to comply.

The spy saw that a dagger was held in the man's other hand. He pressed the blade to the skin on her lower arm, near her wrist, and thrust the blade downwards. Natasha felt no pain. The rope on her arms loosened, and she felt a surge of gratitude towards this man as she resisted the urge to pull her arms free of the broken rope for fear he would disapprove. Who was he, anyway? Could it be…?

Another strong, forceful cut and the binding on her legs was pooled at her feet. Natasha gazed at her saviour, willing him to turn around so she could see his face.

"Javier?"

The man spun, and grabbed her arm to help the spy to her feet. She pulled his face up to meet hers. It was _him_. Never before had the spy felt so happy to see someone she hardly knew, and trust someone so quickly.

Natasha wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. She could see the surprise swimming in his enchanting aqua eyes. Before either of them knew it, the spy had reached up and her mouth was on his, their eyes fluttering shut, lost in the emotions of the kiss.

The redhead smiled as she pulled away, looking up at Javier through dense, long eyelashes. She hid her shock at her actions well, but couldn't help feeling light and happy, like a lovestruck teenager. As she tilted her head to kiss him again, Natasha realized that she might actually be exactly like a lovestruck teen. Minus the teen part…

The spy pressed her body against his, molding herself against him in a passionate, heated, sinful, kiss. Just as her tongue slipped between his lips, Javier pulled away.

"Alicia, please… We don't even know each other." His voice was deep and soft, eyes gently looking into hers.

"I think we know each other better than that," Natasha shot back. It was true, the moment her lips touched his she knew this wasn't a mistake. She definitely met this man before—kissed him, even—in another form, another life, another place.

Natasha brushed her fingertips against his cheek, grazing his high cheekbones and moving down towards his chiseled chin. She smiled as jolts of electricity and heat spread through her body with this simple action. He leaned down to capture her lips again, and Natasha felt her eyelids closing halfway with pleasure.

"Wait, who are you?"

Javier looked away, not meeting her gaze. Natasha's heartbeat suddenly sped up as her mind desperately searched for any sign of recognition. "Please, Javier. Tell me who you really are. I need to know… I need to know who I'm falling for."

And it was true, every word. This man had slowly burnt down her walls, the defenses Natasha put up like shields to protect herself. He had taken down all her barriers as the Black Widow, and found a way to her heart.

Javier sighed. "Natasha… I can't tell you."

So he knew her name! The spy tilted her head, dark dyed curls framing her beautiful face and teeth gently nipping at her oh so red, plump and delicate bottom lip. She tried to recall every face of the men at SHIELD whom she had once entranced, but none matched the face of this specimen standing in front of her.

"Please." The word was full of meaning, desire, begging for this mysterious man to open up to her. Verdant eyes melted into blue ones as Natasha battled to free his spirit, to show him that she meant every word.

Finally, Javier sighed again. "Okay, I'll show you. But please promise me that you won't get… angry if I'm not who you want me to be. I just don't—"

Natasha pushed his chest lightly with the palm of her hand, gesturing at an abandoned, dilapidated house at the end of the alley. He reluctantly went in, and closed the door, leaving Natasha to wait with apprehensive anticipation.

Four minutes passed, and Natasha didn't know if he was even still there. Just as she was about to search for him, the door opened with a creak.

Her gaze landed on a tall, well-muscled man, sporting a tight blue T-shirt that further accentuated his bulging biceps and dark trousers. He looked almost the opposite of Javier—four minutes had changed everything. The man was clean-shaven, and the scruffy dark brown hair was now blonde. The only trace of Javier that remained were those eyes.

Natasha was speechless, nailed to the spot and just gaping and staring dumbly at the man. He cringed at her expression, not daring to walk any closer. Suddenly, her brain registered the sight in front of her.

"Steve!"

**AN: So... ya like? *smirk* The next chapter will (hopefully, if things go my way) be steamier... we'll see :) I know I haven't been posting regularly but please keep in mind that I do have other commitments, even though I love writing :3 Btw THANK YOU ALL SOOOO MUCH! This story is getting a lot of positive feedback, and I'd love to hear more from my readers in terms of reviews as well! Also, I'm sorry I haven't updated Graveyard Goodbyes, I just can't write so much at the same time, please understand. When any great ideas hit me, I'll definitely pen them down. Ily!**


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